Archives for February 2014

At a random fast food restaurant, one person found a way to spend $535.50. While checking out, the person got plenty of nasty stares from the customers behind them, who were impatiently waiting. However, they weren’t so salty when they realized that he paid for their coffee. And for the coffee for the next 295 people after them.

Are you the sort of person who is always pondering how you can improve your coffee brewing? We can relate. Although there’s no substitution for a solid education and fundamental brewing skills, having the right equipment can go a long way towards enjoying better coffee at home, which is why we curated a list of our favorite hi-tech coffee gadgets.

Induction burner

A watched pot never boils, unless it’s on an induction burner. Throw your goose-neck kettle on this baby and it’s going to be in business before you get your coffee weighed and ground. One home barista friend mentioned to us he sleeps in 5 minutes more every day since buying his induction burner. Besides, heat transfer is so…

Cafe Perfection

It’s hard to imagine a more idyllic morning than sleeping in, meandering downstairs, and being handed a well crafted cappuccino. Throw in a beer and breakfast menu that would even make Anthony Bourdain swoon, and you have Gralehaus, the new cafe/bed & breakfast from Lori Beck and Tyler Trotter. Lori and Tyler are best known as the team behind the internationally-acclaimed beer bar The Holy Grale, situated in a repurposed Unitarian church conveniently located immediately behind the turn-of-the-century building which houses Gralehaus. The two restaurants share a German-style biergarten, so theoretically there’s …

Interview by Mikey Rinaldo

2014 has already turned out to be a very exciting year for Louisville’s coffee scene. Four Louisville baristas competed this past January at the Big Eastern Barista Competition (one of the regional competitions preceding the US Coffee Championships). Houston Miller and Jesse Myers from Quills Coffee and James Tooill from Argo Sons Coffee took part in the Brewers Cup portion while Michael Butterworth competed in the Barista Competition. Jesse, Houston, and James all placed in the top seven, and James’s third place finished earned him an invitation to nationals. Michael placed fifth and will move on to the US Barista Championship. James and Michael will be the first baristas from Kentucky to compete at nationals. As a Louisville resident and coffee enthusiast, I wanted to hear first hand about their experiences, so the the five of us sat down together to have this discussion….

Forged in the Fires of Montrose

Arcade Fire front man William Butler wrote an entire album about how much he hated growing up in Houston, Texas. But if he ever stops trying to get away from the sprawl, Butler may be surprised to find a culinary renaissance is happening in Houston’s Montrose neighborhood, and at its heart is Blacksmith, a cutting edge cafe helmed by David Buehrer. I spent three days at Blacksmith training for the Big Eastern Barista Competition, and I left impressed with what’s happening in the Lone Star State’s largest city. …